


Assimilated

by Ghostwriter (Zoya_Zalan)



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M, Humor, Romance, Satire, The Borg, fan fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-23
Updated: 2015-04-23
Packaged: 2018-03-25 08:59:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3804508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zoya_Zalan/pseuds/Ghostwriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things come to a screeching halt aboard <i>Voyager</i> thanks to a stray Borg cube that finds Earth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Assimilated

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer** : Paramount owns all things Voyager. They just have no fucking clue what to do with them, that's all. TPTB also belong to the Paraborg collective; I don't own them, either. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
> **Author’s Note** : A little backstory on this one… All of my _Voyager_ stories were written during the series’ original run (1995—2001). At the time, the _Voyager_ online community was getting increasingly disgruntled with how the show was being written. I decided to take my frustration out in a creative way. This story was the end result. My original Author’s Notes are intact below.
> 
> Clarification: TPTB = The Powers That Be; Brannon Braga = the head of _Voyager’s_ writing staff at the time.
> 
>  
> 
> **ORIGINAL AUTHOR’S NOTES** : Many thanks to August, Mary, Gilly, Veronica, and Kim for their inspiration, and allowing me to shamelessly promote them in this story =) A special hug goes out to Kim for suggesting that wonderful Borg/Braga solution. Additional thanks go to Aspen for giving me the spark that started this monster! This story is dedicated to all the Voyager fanfic writers/readers who are just as frustrated as I am with how this wonderful show has been mangled by TPTB. Is this piece my own blatant pot shot at those in charge at Paramount? You betcha.
> 
> Written April/May 1999.

~ * ~ * ~

"I need answers, people," Janeway stressed, leaning forward over the briefing table. "We've got less than two hours before our energy reserves give out and that won't be enough time to see us through this crisis." Her gaze was hard as she spoke, her jaw set firmly.

An uneasy silence permeated the room as the senior staff considered alternative solutions. Harry Kim had just opened his mouth to offer a suggestion when the comm system activated.

"Bridge to Captain Janeway."

"Go ahead, Ensign," the captain responded immediately, straightening herself to a standing position.

"We're being hailed, Captain," the ensign reported dutifully.

"By whom?"

"It's an urgent message from Starfleet Command."

Janeway's eyebrows shot up almost as fast as Commander Tuvok's. She glanced warily at her first officer. "Excuse me?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes, ma'am," the ensign continued. "It's a Priority One signal."

"Reroute it to the briefing room." Instantly, the view screen in the wall lit up with the image of a stern-looking older man wearing Admiral's pips. The captain stepped forward toward the screen with Chakotay following closely behind, both of them staring suspiciously at the man in uniform.

"I'm afraid we have bad news, Captain," the admiral announced grimly.

"You're not supposed to call us here," Janeway whispered.

"I'm afraid I had no choice," the man responded. "Circumstances beyond our control have forced us to halt all Starfleet activities."

"What sort of circumstances?" Chakotay asked.

"The Borg invaded Paramount's defenses... the entire writing staff has been assimilated."

"Shit..." Janeway spat angrily to herself, looking toward the ceiling as a round of profanity issued through the room from the rest of the staff. She slapped her comm badge roughly. "Janeway to Conn - all stop!"

"How the hell are we ever supposed to get home with writers like that in charge?" Tom Paris bellowed.

"How did this happen?" Chakotay asked calmly, the look in his eyes the only indication of his rancor.

"We're still trying to determine that ourselves, but we aren't having much luck," the admiral continued wearily. "Apparently this attack was unexpected; no one had written ahead enough to give us any clue."

"That doesn't surprise me at all... I mean, continuity is such a strong point for them," offered Torres sarcastically. "They probably forgot about a stray Borg cube they'd placed in the Alpha Quadrant near Earth — never sent it back in the other direction, the bastards, and then, BANG!! Next thing you know, they've got body hardware and kick-ass weapons while we're stuck here with nothing to do!"

"That's enough, Lieutenant," Chakotay retorted sternly.

"Do you have any suggestions, Admiral; orders, hints... anything?" Janeway asked, her face a mask of carefully controlled fury.

"The heads of Starfleet have called an emergency meeting; I'm headed there now. Until you hear back from us, I suggest you enjoy the down time."

"Acknowledged," Chakotay responded when the captain offered no reply of her own.

The screen went blank.

"Well," Kim began, a slow smile stretching across his face, "Look at the bright side. Maybe assimilating them has somehow introduced an unstable element into the collective... maybe they'll be responsible for the Borg's destruction or something."

The atmosphere in the briefing room lightened considerably as the young ensign spoke, smirks and quiet laughter replacing the blanket of animosity.

"What do you think?" Janeway asked quietly, looking expectantly at her first officer.

"I think we should try to enjoy ourselves a bit."

"You mean improvise?" The look of concern on her face made his throat tighten. "You must be joking... The last time we did that, they got rid of Kes. I don't want to lose any more crew members."

The doors to the briefing room opened suddenly and Neelix entered, still wearing his cooking apron and hat. "Captain?" the Talaxian asked, looking extremely confused.

"Yes, Neelix?"

"Um... I was expecting about thirty or forty people for lunch today, and, well... no one came to eat. Nobody has any idea what's going on, and I'm at a complete loss as to what I'm supposed to do next. Have I missed something?"

"No, you haven't missed anything, Neelix," Paris answered. "There's absolutely nothing happening... not a thing... literally."

"All right, people," Janeway began, her tone of voice telling them she meant business. "Instead of complaining, let's try to come up with something that might help Starfleet in this situation."

"We're in the Delta Quadrant; how can we help!?" Torres blurted out, her temper getting the best of her.

"As one Starfleet diplomat once said, ‘There are always possibilities,’" Tuvok's voice echoed quietly through the room. He calmly ignored all the ensuing death glares.

"Have a seat Neelix," the captain ordered. "The writing staff is... indisposed again. We may be here for a while."

"They've had a lot of problems lately, haven't they?" the Talaxian responded quietly as he sat.

"Well, this time they went and got themselves assimilated," Paris explained.

"Ouch."

"Janeway to Seven of Nine. Please report to the briefing room."

"You think she can offer a solution?" Chakotay asked.

"She's the only one of us who's really been there," Janeway replied, taking her own seat at the head of the table.

The Doctor's image appeared on the view screen a few moments later, his scowl even more prominent than usual. "Captain, I'm afraid we have a problem." He stepped aside to allow them to see what was happening in Sickbay. Seven was strapped down on a biobed, writhing uncontrollably in agony. Her voice rose as everyone watched.

"NO! Make them stop! PLEASE...."

"Doctor, what's happening?" Janeway asked.

"There must be a Borg ship in proximity, Captain. Her neural transceiver has been activated. She's hearing their collective voices, and apparently not liking what they have to say."

"PLEASE, NO! NO!!!"

The Doctor continued gruffly, "I've tried everything I can think of, including the treatment I used during her episode with the multiple personalities awhile back, but nothing seems to be working. My only other option is to induce a coma."

"PLEASE STOP!! No... I will NOT ...no! The voices... they are... so OFFENSIVE!!" Seven rambled loudly, completely unaware that she was being observed.

"Do it," Janeway ordered sharply, her face draining of all color as she watched the young woman's struggle. The Doctor moved quickly, pressing a hypospray to Seven's neck. She calmed immediately, her eyes closing peacefully as the medication took effect.

The captain slapped her comm badge once more. "Janeway to bridge. Red Alert!"

"Captain?" Chakotay asked quietly. The senior staff began to move from their seats.

"There must be Borg nearby or this wouldn't have happened," Janeway finished, pointing to the still activated view screen.

"Yes, but they haven't been written in yet," Chakotay offered. "They can't attack anyone without the writing staff's consent."

"And we don't have a writing staff anymore..." the captain nodded, still thinking. "You're right. Janeway to Bridge; belay that last order."

"What if they decide to go against the rules and improvise?" Kim asked warily as he sat back down. "We could have a hell of a problem on our hands."

"That would be illogical, Ensign Kim," Tuvok explained. "The Borg are incapable of improvisation. On the contrary, they cannot function without the proper command hierarchy intact. The drones receive their orders from the Queen, who, in turn, can only receive orders directly from the head of the writing staff. It is not in their nature to deviate from this established pattern of authority."

"Yes, but they've assimilated the head of the writing staff," Kim continued. "Wouldn't they be free to continue now, receiving orders internally or something?"

"Brannon Braga's individual thoughts are no longer relevant," the Vulcan countered calmly. "There is no individuality within the collective. Undoubtedly, the Queen is experiencing a certain amount of confusion herself at this time. She will be waiting for orders that will not arrive."

"But, that wouldn't stop other ships and races from running rampant, right?" Paris asked.

"That's a very real possibility," Janeway murmured, still lost in thought. "I think we should at least remain at yellow alert until this whole thing works itself out... whenever that will be."

"The writing staff is going to have quite a mess to clean up when everyone realizes they're no longer restrained by the storyline." Neelix offered solemnly. The room was silent for a few moments after he spoke.

"Does this mean we can have a bit of free time ourselves?" Torres asked tentatively. "I mean, I'm not suggesting we go ballistic or anything, but I haven't had a day off in almost a full season..."

"Me, either," Kim added.

"There must be a solution here somewhere, people," the Captain said harshly. "Things may never get back to normal if someone doesn't take the time to think this through." Her words hit home, silence permeating the room once more.

"What about the fan fiction writers?" Paris asked hesitantly. "Maybe they could fill in for awhile, or be permanent replacements."

"Fan fiction writers?" Janeway's curiosity was piqued as she studied her Conn and Operations officers, both of whom were grinning from ear to ear.

"A sub-culture of writers, Captain. They pride themselves on writing their own storylines for all of us. Some of them are actually much better than our own writing staff ever was."

"Really? How come I've never heard of them before now?"

"Ah... well... the writing staff doesn't exactly want us to know about them," the pilot continued, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "Their existence has been kept pretty well hidden. A few of us have managed to locate the database which contains the material in question, but it's not easy — there are encryptions all over the place."

"But you have gotten in?" Janeway asked eagerly.

"Yeah... once or twice...." Paris flashed Kim a knowing smirk.

"What's so funny?" Chakotay couldn't help but grin himself as he watched the younger officers.

"Nothing," Kim lowered his gaze in an effort to hide his reaction.

"Many of these fan fiction writers indulge in more... romantic storylines," Torres piped in, giving Paris a lewd look.

"That will not suffice at all," Tuvok offered stoically. "There has been very little romance written in to this series."

"Tell me about it," growled Paris. "I'm in love with B'Elanna and they've only allowed us to kiss a handful of times... KISS... that's it!"

The Vulcan was not dissuaded. "It would be inappropriate..."

"Maybe these fan fiction writers are the key here," Janeway interrupted, staring thoughtfully at the table in front of her. "They presumably know our characters very well. They could at least fill in until some kind of decision is made at Headquarters."

"We could suggest that to the Admiral," Chakotay commented.

Janeway's eyes were bright with determination as she met the gaze of her first officer once more. "Do it." Chakotay started to get up from his chair as the captain continued, "Mr. Tuvok, do you think you can bypass all these encryptions?"

"With the Ensign's help, I do not believe they will pose a problem." the Vulcan replied, aiming a rather questionable look in Paris's direction.

"Starfleet will need names," Kim remarked innocently, only to feel his face flush as _Voyager's_ Chief Engineer turned sideways in her chair to stare at him. "I mean, they'll want suggestions as far as writers go."

Chakotay sat back down, looking expectantly at Janeway.

"Veronica Williams." Paris announced the name without missing a beat. Torres smacked him hard under the table. Paris took the abuse calmly, his own face turning fives shades of red as he smirked at her. The engineer was barely suppressing a grin of her own.

Janeway eyed them curiously, but decided to ignore their inappropriate behavior for the moment. "All right; Veronica Williams. Who else do you recommend?"

"Mary Wiecek and Gill Hoyle," Torres offered, finally looking away from her significant other. The captain nodded approvingly, reaching for a PADD to record the information.

"Sister Mary Kath," the pilot continued smoothly. Kim lost control at that point, a short burst of laughter escaping before he covered his mouth and bit down on his tongue.

"There's a nun writing _Voyager_ stories?" Janeway's question was honest enough, though the reaction it had left the entire room dumbfounded.

All three of the younger officers burst out laughing, though Torres was the first to recover. "No, Captain," she grinned. "She's not a nun."

"No nun..." Paris added as he caught his breath. Kim was still laughing softly, his head buried in the crook of his arm on the table. Tuvok shifted in his chair to observe the behavior at hand more carefully, his eyebrows lifting past his hairline.

"They must be very good writers," Neelix remarked with a confused smile as he watched the others' reactions.

"I would hope so," Janeway warned, her voice carefully neutral, yet full of authority. That sobered the room up a bit.

"Anyone else?" Chakotay inquired.

"What about August?"

"Oh... dark," Paris shook his head at Torres. "Too dark..."

"We need some kind of a balance here," the engineer growled softly, causing Paris to grin at her again.

"August writes some great stories," Kim began thoughtfully. "She's honest and angsty. Nothing wrong with a good reality check."

"All right," Janeway finished inputting the data and handed Chakotay the PADD. "This should at least give Starfleet somewhere to begin. I'm sure they'll do more research before a final decision is made. In the meantime, I guess it wouldn't be a bad idea for us to... relax a bit."

Everyone could tell the words were painful for her to say. _Voyager's_ Captain wasn't one to sit idle for very long. But in this case, she couldn't argue.

"Dismissed," she ordered finally, her voice echoing softly through the room.

~ * ~ * ~

Janeway sat at the desk in her quarters, holding a cup of tea in her hands as she stared intently at the computer screen before her. Very slowly, she set the tea down off to the side. Long fingers brushed aside loose strands of her hair as she leaned closer to the screen, her eyes widening. Without even realizing it, she'd parted her lips and began to breathe deeply, her fingers unconsciously moving to trace the skin of her throat along the edge of her robe. Her tongue caressed dry lips as she eagerly continued to scan the contents of the display.

The unexpected sound of the door chime caused her to flinch. She quickly switched off the computer controls and stood up. "Come in."

Chakotay strode casually into her quarters, a welcoming smile already set in place. "Good evening, Captain."

She smiled in return, taking one last deep breath. "Chakotay... hello."

"Am I interrupting anything?" he asked, tilting his head slightly to look at the computer terminal behind her.

"No!" she answered, a bit too quickly.

He smiled even wider, noting the blush that was spreading across her face at warp speed. After a slight hesitation, he continued, "We've retrieved a complete list of the fan fiction writers from the database. It looks like Starfleet will have plenty of talent to choose from."

Janeway took the PADD he offered to her and studied the readouts, grateful for something else to focus on. "Have we heard anything from Headquarters?"

"Not a word."

"I hope something happens soon," she offered softly. "This waiting around is driving me slowly insane." When he didn't respond to her comment, she looked up expectantly. He was smiling at her again, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "What?"

"You've been indulging in some of the stories, haven't you?"

"What makes you say that?" Her stomach fluttered nervously.

"You look extremely guilty right now."

"I do not," she smiled playfully.

"Your blush matches the nightgown almost perfectly," Chakotay noted with a smile of his own.

Janeway set the PADD down on the desk, unconsciously pulling her robe tighter with the other hand. "It's just a bit warm in here, that's all. Computer, lower the temperature in my quarters by two degrees." She was flustered and he knew it.

Chakotay waited until the computer acknowledged the order before speaking softly, "It's not going to help." He stepped forward, his hand reaching toward her computer terminal, but she successfully blocked his way. Blue and brown gazes locked together as the two of them shared a long, meaningful glance. They were standing uncomfortably close... almost close enough to hear each other's heartbeat echoing through the quiet room. Carefully, he resumed his task, bronzed fingers reaching around her to touch the controls. The screen snapped to life. He broke their gaze long enough to scrutinize what she'd been reading before he'd interrupted her. His smile renewed itself as he read. When he looked back moments later, she had turned her face away, embarrassment still coloring her features.

" _A Moment In Time_ ...Veronica Williams..." Chakotay commented.

Janeway looked back at him, taking a deep breath as she attempted to regain her composure. "I admire her style," she began, her throat feeling like sandpaper. "It's very beautiful and poetic."

"It's also very passionate."

"Yes," she admitted, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Deeply passionate..."

"So, you're fond of her work, as well?" Janeway countered, finally recovering enough to spar back.

"Well," he straightened a bit, glancing self-consciously around the room. "As First Officer, it's my duty to thoroughly oversee all important projects."

"Of course." Her face had relaxed once more, a lopsided grin accenting the sparkle in her eye.

"I've noticed something interesting, though," Chakotay began, his face turning serious, "about the authors that were suggested in the briefing this afternoon."

"All of them have written stories which focus on some form of personal relationship between us." Janeway had casually stepped back as she spoke, moving to a safer, more comfortable distance.

"You _have_ done your homework," he noted.

"Yes... well, I had a little time on my hands."

"What did you think?"

"About their work? Extremely well written, all of it. Very meaningful, colorful, funny and sobering all at once. A rich diversity of interpretations; I'm really quite impressed."

"Did you read _Earth Angel_?" he smirked.

"I did, as a matter of fact," she chuckled

"I haven't laughed that hard in a long time."

"Wasn't it hilarious? The visuals it created will keep me entertained for quite some time..." Janeway trailed off, her expression becoming thoughtful. "I must say," she continued with a soft smile, "I truly enjoyed a story called _Candy Hearts_ , and there was another... _Something out of the Ordinary_. Both were so beautifully expressed, so warm and inviting... so..."

"Romantic?" he offered, raising his eyebrows a bit.

Janeway averted her gaze once again, color rushing back to her face. "These authors, they gave their Kathryn Janeway something wonderful to live for, something I can't afford — something _we_ can't afford."

"Something those in charge have never allowed us to have, you mean." His words were laced with regret, and something a bit more powerful.

She finally met his gaze, sadness penetrating the silent conversation that followed. "It isn't for us to decide, Chakotay."

"Kathryn, I don't ever want to hear myself saying, _I knew her, once..._ "

Recollection flooded Janeway's mind, eloquent, meaningful, and wonderfully sad words written by an author named August; stories that pulled at her heart... stories that hit so close to home.

"Chakotay..."

"We've always had something special between us, Kathryn, but we've been denied the chance to explore that. We've been kept apart, supposedly in the name of protocol, but we're really just at someone else's whim. I'm tired of living like that. I love you."

A lump formed in her throat as he spoke, but she couldn't look away. She watched as his feelings came to the surface and exploded in a picture of controlled anguish. Her first instinct was to reach out to him, to offer him a reassuring touch, but years of forced restraint quelled the urge as quickly as it formed. Instead, she opened her mouth as if to speak, still unsure of what she could possibly say to ease the pain they both felt. The sound of the comm system interrupted the highly charged moment.

"Kim to Janeway."

She hesitated, her heart still pounding from Chakotay's revelation. "Go ahead, Mr. Kim."

"Message from Starfleet coming through," the young officer reported.

Janeway took a deep breath before responding. "Pipe the audio down to my quarters, please."

"Aye, Captain."

There was a brief pause before the admiral's voice filtered through the room. "Captain Janeway?"

"Yes, Admiral, I'm here."

"We have news. The _Enterprise_ found Brannon Braga several hours ago. Apparently the Borg severed him from their own collective and abandoned him on a nearby planet."

Janeway and Chakotay exchanged looks, their eyes speaking a thousand words.

"The best doctors in the fleet are working to extract the Borg technology from his body," the admiral continued. "With that being their sole responsibility at this time, we estimate Braga will be ready to resume his writing duties in a limited capacity within sixteen hours."

"Thank you for alerting us, Admiral. We will stand by for further orders. Janeway out."

_Voyager's_ command team glanced absently around the room, the silence becoming unsettling to them both. Chakotay was the first to speak.

"Well," he said softly.

Janeway cast a tentative look in his direction. "Not that it will matter much in the larger scheme of things, but I love you too, Chakotay. You give me strength that no writer could ever match."

"I do...?" he asked incredulously.

"Is that so hard to believe?" she smiled.

He returned her smile, his head spinning in amazement. "Well, you never..."

She held up her hand to stop his explanation. "I know, but it's all in the..."

"...way you're written," he finished for her.

They both stood there for a long time, just looking at each other with silly grins on their faces. The moment slowly shifted from being lighthearted to something far deeper and more precious.

"We have sixteen hours left," Chakotay finally offered.

Janeway blushed instantly, and against her will. "What are you suggesting, Commander?"

"I'm suggesting we take advantage of the situation — to freely express ourselves while the eyes of authority aren't watching."

She watched as he moved closer to her, his hands reaching out to gently grasp her shoulders. Her body trembled under his touch. A part of her screamed to put an end to his proposal, but she found herself unable to speak. His hand moved to caress her cheek as he brought his lips to within a breath of her own.

"Let me love you, Kathryn, even if it's only once in our lifetime. Let's at least give each other that much, something to make us stronger and more passionate even as we're forced to continue under the guidance of someone else."

"Chakotay," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

"I would rather take this chance than live the rest of my life with regret."

Her choked response was cut off as his lips found hers for the very first time, the sweetness of the kiss causing them both to melt in each other's arms. Janeway reached around his broad shoulders to pull him closer, unable to hold back her desire any longer. Heartbeat against heartbeat... skin against skin... an unspoken promise fulfilled. The effect was intoxicating for both of them. Long moments passed as their kiss deepened, years of denial fueling the fire. When they finally pulled apart, they were breathless with their newfound passion.

"Braga will be furious if we do," Janeway whispered, resting her forehead against his cheek.

Chakotay smiled. "Yes, he will be, but he won't be able to change anything. No matter what happens, no matter what's written for us in the future, this moment will always be ours and ours alone."

He nuzzled her hair gently as they continued to hold each other. "I have a confession." Her voice sounded apprehensive to his ears. He pulled back to look at her, but she wouldn't meet his eyes.

"I'm forty something years old, and I've been engaged twice, but..." she trailed off.

"But?" Chakotay asked, unable to see where she was headed.

"I mean, I know I've been with partners before, at least that's what my background suggests," she continued, finally meeting his gaze, "but it's never actually been... written in?"

Realization dawned on him as he once again watched a furious blush spread across her face and neck. He held himself back from chuckling at her discomfort, knowing how important this must be to her.

"It's all right, Kathryn; we have time... and I promise to be very gentle." He watched in confusion as a smirk spread across her face. "What?"

Janeway began to chuckle softly at his reaction. "Are you sure there isn't someone writing this scene for us right now?"

"Why, do my words sound prepared?" he smiled deviously.

"You sound wonderful." Her whisper sent chills up his back. He watched as her beautiful blue eyes filled with passion, a hint of mischief beginning to sparkle in their depths. 

"Kathryn?" Chakotay whispered expectantly, her smile completely taking his breath away.

A long moment of silence passed before she whispered once more, "Let's make love..."

All rational thought left him then as he leaned forward to kiss her once more, his strong arms wrapping her deeper in his embrace. Quiet, gleeful laughter echoed through the room as the lovers' lips finally parted and they hurried towards the bedroom, hand in hand.

~ * ~ finis ~ * ~

**Author's Note:**

> Even after all this time, I’ve actually managed to locate links to the fanfic authors and stories mentioned by the crew in this piece. This is a small part of _Voyager’s_ fanfic legacy, and I’m proud to be part of it all!
> 
> Veronica Williams: "A Moment In Time" http://www.trekiverse.org/archive/2000/adult/voy/MomentInTime_W  
> August: "Fifth Season Musings" http://www.trekiverse.org/archive/2000/story/voy/FifthSeasonMusings  
> Gill Hoyle: "Something Out of the Ordinary" http://www.jetclover.com/something.shtml  
> Mary Wiecek: "Candy Hearts" http://trekiverse.org/efiction/viewstory.php?sid=4086&chapter=1  
> Sr. Mary Kath: "Earth Angel" http://www.trekiverse.org/archive/2000/story/voy/EarthAngel


End file.
